That time of the year again

I somehow feel compelled to make this entry again this year after I made the first one last year.

I am thankful for the opportunity to make this entry. I am thankful for being alive.

Oh sure, there wasn't any magnitude 8.0 earthquake that killed 90,000 this year in one swoop. But as we speak, the severity of the H1N1 virus spread is still uncertain. Already, hundreds have died. And thousands more in unfortunate accidents that shouldn't have happened. There have been a number of horrifying air crashes, some fatal train collisions, a couple of bus explosions, countless miners buried under collapsed shafts. Oh yeah, and we lost one superstar that everyone has been talking about since last Friday, and is still talking about today and maybe tomorrow ... and the next day ...

So I'm thankful, very very thankful, to be able to sit here tonight writing my thanks. For my family. For my friends. For the cats and dogs of SPCA and those wandering the streets. For places, faces, names I've had the good fortune to be acquainted with and especially those I've received help from.

Thank you.